


Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)

by sharpiedream



Category: Dear Sidewalk (2013)
Genre: Christmas!, Very fluffy, being madly in love with a postman, confession fic bc those are the Only Fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:54:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22161412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharpiedream/pseuds/sharpiedream
Summary: Gardner hadn't expected any Christmas presents, but you were full of surprises.
Relationships: Gardner Langway/Reader, Gardner Langway/You
Kudos: 4





	Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)

**Author's Note:**

> word count: 4.1k
> 
> a (late) christmas present for my best friend!! I love you, Rowan!!!!

“Happy Christmas!”

Gardner blinked. He woke up that morning thinking he knew what the day would bring. He had expected it to be chilly, and it was. He had expected to finish his route slightly early, and he was about to. He had expected to eat lunch at his usual spot, and he did. He had expected to see you, his favorite customer, his new best friend, and there you were. He had been excited to see you, like always. What he had not expected was the carefully wrapped box you were holding out to him. He had also not expected to be this flustered by how beautiful you look in that yellow sweater he’d delivered to you a few days back, but that was beside the point. 

“For… me?” He looked down at the small parcel in awe. You had to suppress a giggle at the little “O” his mouth formed as he stared at your hands. 

“Yes for you!” You laughed, extending your arms towards him even further. He took the box from you gingerly, as if what was inside could break with the slightest touch. 

“I can hold your bag while you open it? If you want?” You offered with a grin. When you saw him hesitate for a second you quickly added, “I’m dead vague about mail carrier protocol, so if that’s not allowed I totally understand! I just thought I’d offer.”

“N-no! No it’s okay,” he blushed a bit, handing back the box before taking the bag off his shoulder and passing it to you. He didn’t miss the way your eyes lit up as you slung it across your body, and he couldn’t help but grin softly at your excitement. 

“Sorry,” you laughed, giddy, “I’ve just always wanted to wear one of these! Makes you feel important, yeah?” 

To say that Gardner was speechless was an understatement. No one he had ever met had even pretended to care about his job, much less actually been curious about it. Granted, this wasn’t the first time you had shown interest in his humble occupation, but it still surprised him. All he could do was nod sheepishly with a pink tinge on his cheeks as you passed him the gift. 

When he had it in his hands again, he stared at it for a moment, not yet opening it. You noticed his gaze.

“I uh.. I tried to find a wrapping paper that matched the color blue you wear, and I know it’s not perfect, but I think I got pretty close!” 

You’d gotten blue wrapping paper. You’d gotten his blue. He laughed quietly in disbelief, and you very nearly had to physically restrain yourself from clutching your heart at the sound. He began to gently tear into the paper, and you watched with eager eyes. When he finally got into the box, he paused with a quiet gasp. Staring back at him was a pile of letters. Old letters. Very old letters. He softly rested his hand on them, only to realize they were sitting atop a pair of soft, dark blue, knit gloves. He looked up at you in shock and you gave him a genuine, soft smile.

“I found the letters in an antique shop a while ago, and they all had such lovely stamps on them! I only know about a few of them, google was kind to me, but the others I couldn’t find.”

Gardner couldn’t even speak. 

“Oh! And I figured that you were pretty sick of having to touch all those freezing cold mailboxes all the time, and I’ve never seen you wearing gloves, so I made those, and all blues just remind me of you.”

Gardner prayed that you thought his cheeks and nose were pink because of the cold. It wouldn’t be wrong, but there were definitely more factors involved in the equation. It took him a moment to even think of what he could say. No amount of words would be able to fully convey how truly touched he was by your kindness.

“Gosh I… Thank you,” he breathed quietly. You grinned softly, very proud of yourself for making him speechless. He looked up at you with wonder in his eyes, and you felt like the air had been knocked out of you. Gardner had only marched into your life a few months ago when you moved to Austin, but he had quickly managed to walk into your heart as well. Every cup of tea the two of you had quickly shared before he set off to his next house, every slight smile and polite wave, every quiet laugh you got from him when you told him a new joke, every evening chat the two of you had on your front porch on the rare occasions he accepted a dinner invitation… you had fallen hard. That sweet, somewhat stubborn, shy mail carrier had somehow managed to occupy all your waking thoughts. He must’ve been exhausted with the way he’d been walking the whole city and running through your head every day. He was just so… him. So kind and gorgeous and passionate and him. God him. 

“Oh, love, of course!” 

His face reddened at the term of endearment, and you smiled even wider. He ran his fingers over the letters, smiling softly to himself, still in complete awe that anyone would do something so nice for him.

“Wait,” he gasped as your words caught up with him, “you made these?” You grinned bashfully as you watched him pull out the gloves in amazement.

“I did! I hadn’t made anything other than scarves in a while, but I’m still proud of them!”

He looked up at you seriously, with a watery smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“They’re perfect.” 

You beamed and did a mock curtsy as a thank you, drawing out another soft giggle from him. You were enjoying yourself immensely just seeing him so happy, when you saw his brow furrow in slight confusion.

“Hold on, Christmas is a week away,” he said, tearing his gaze away from his gift. Apparently it was your turn to be sheepish, and he watched a slight blush creep over your cheeks. 

“Well, I… I didn’t know when you’d be off for Christmas, and I’ve been trying to find something for you for a while, and then the knitting took a minute, but I wanted to make sure I caught you before you went on holiday or something, and I was really excited to give it to you, so… here it is.”

When you met his eyes again, you had to stop yourself from laughing. He had the most awestruck look on his face you’d ever seen.

“You… you thought about all of that?”

“I mean, yeah! I wanted you to have your gift! Plus, you’ll get to use the gloves!” 

It might have been 30 degrees outside, but Gardner had never felt warmer or happier in his life. 

The soft, nearly dopey smile on his face made you giggle, and he blushed again. He wanted so badly to truly thank you, to tell you how much all of this meant to him, but all he could do was look at you with all the love in the world. He was so in awe of you that he failed to notice the look of mild panic that crossed your face.

“Oh god, have I made you late?”

He was brought back to reality by the alarm in your voice.

“No! No no, you’re my last house. I usually get home in time for dinner, Calvin cooks every night, but he’s got a date tonight, so I’m on my own time.” 

He surprised himself with how willing he was to alter his schedule. His schedule was very important to him. Punctuality made him feel in control and organized. You, however, made him feel… something new. Something different. Something nice.

“Oh!! Well in that case, d’you wanna come in for a cuppa? I have cocoa too if you’d prefer that! I’m in the middle of baking some cookies as well if you want to help!” You gave him the warmest smile he’s ever seen. All he could do was nod, his face red, and follow you into your home.

He didn’t know what he had expected your house to look like inside, but he did know that everything felt just right. The moment he stepped through your front door, he was greeted by a warmth he had never felt before. It was as if the house had welcomed him in with a hug, beckoning him in further. The next thing he noticed was how nice it smelled, almost like tea, but also with something else mixed in. Like you had patented a candle called “happiness and comfort” and it was perpetually burning. The glow-in-the-dark stars that dotted the ceiling brought a grin to his face as he imagined you excitedly putting them up and seeing them glow for the first time. Everything was bright, but in a calm, easy-on-the-eyes way, and Gardner felt himself relaxing, truly relaxing, for the first time in a very long while. 

He followed you into your kitchen, and watched with a full heart as you carefully took off his bag and set it on your kitchen table. With a smile, you excused yourself, saying you needed to grab something from your room, and he smiled at the mess before him. When you said you were in the middle of baking cookies, you weren’t kidding! Every countertop around him was covered in flour or cookie cutters or containers of icing and sprinkles. You hadn’t spared the kitchen from your decorating either, and the tiny christmas tree on your table did not escape his notice. He was just starting to get curious as to where you’d gone when you entered the kitchen once more holding a speaker. 

“I hope you like Christmas music!”

He nodded in confirmation, and with a smile, you turned on a bright song that immediately made him feel even more light. Then, you got down to business. You quickly filled him in on what to do, and it was off to the races. 

The next hour or so went by in a blur of jolly music, loud singing, laughs, and definitely not eating the dough before you baked it, oh no, absolutely not. He impressed you by being somewhat skilled in the kitchen, and he feigned offense when you mentioned it teasingly. He amazed you in a lot of ways actually, as you ended up talking a lot more than you previously had. He seemed unashamedly open in a way that you hadn’t come to expect from him, and it warmed your heart. The trust he had given you, the willingness to show you his whole, true self was the best Christmas present you had gotten. You found him animatedly talking about the importance of his job, something you adamantly agreed with, his passion for stamps, and his love of being a mail carrier around the holiday season. You listened intently as he described the joy on people’s faces when he hands them packages, the smiles when he delivers Christmas cards from friends they don’t get to see often, the kind greetings from people caught up in the holiday cheer.

“It just makes you feel a bit like Santa,” he smiled, “in its own special way.”

You watched as his eyes twinkled, looking somewhere far away and remembering all of the love he’d witnessed on his route in the past few weeks. 

“Well, Santa,” you started with a grin, causing him to meet your eyes with a bright smile, “what do you say we get these last few cookies out of the oven, and then sit down and have some for ourselves?”

You didn’t think his smile could grow any more, but it seemed he was full of surprises that night.

“You know, I think that sounds perfect.”

After getting your cookies out without any burns, you led him to your living room, and he took a seat on your couch. Inhaling again, he could smell the pine from the garland you had hung on the mantle, and he smiled softly. How you managed to make him feel so at home was unreal to him. Your presence just seemed to wrap him up in a warm blanket.

“Still interested in that cuppa?” 

He snapped out of his small trance enough to stammer out that he wouldn’t mind some cocoa, and with a comical bow you left him to his own devices. 

With wonder in his eyes, he gazed at the room around him. You had obviously been very liberal in your decorating for Christmas, and he couldn’t help the quiet chuckle that escaped him as he took in all the lights strung about. Somehow, you had put up just enough so that the whole room was illuminated in their cheerful glow, but also not so many as to strangle anyone that walked in. He also found himself looking at some of your family photographs. He smiled to himself, thinking about you as a child and the kind of mischief you must have gotten into. The photos made him nostalgic, as if he had experienced this beautiful childhood with you. As if he had played in the streets with friends and come home for a good supper with his family. As if he had ridden his bike along the city streets and played along the riverside. However, he suddenly felt a pang in his chest and realized it couldn’t be nostalgia. Nostalgia implies a longing for things once possessed or experienced. And he had lived none of those happy memories. His smile slowly faded.

His thoughts were interrupted as you waltzed back into the room. He perked back up immediately, almost completely forgetting his melancholy, and if you had noticed the slight sadness in his eyes, you said nothing. Instead, you handed him a warm cup of hot chocolate and a small plate of cookies with a kind grin. He took it eagerly, murmuring a thank you and reciprocating your smile.

You, of course, had noticed him staring at your old photos with a mournful gaze, but elected not to say anything. He had told you about his parents over dinner one night, and it broke your heart. You wanted to tell him right there in that moment that you would gladly be his family, you would absolutely have him and hold him for the rest of your life, but you quickly pushed those feelings down, reminding yourself to keep it together. You situated yourself next to him, and lightly bumped his shoulder with yours, a wordless gesture of comfort. You saw him grin into his mug, and felt victorious.

After each of you had tried the cookies (and made some extremely suggestive sounds that definitely made you both feel emotions you weren’t willing to share), you fell into a comfortable silence. That is, until you saw your dvd collection.

“So, you have a favorite christmas movie?”

He looked up at you, surprised.

“I… don’t think I’ve really seen any.”

“What?”

Your mouth hung open in shock as Gardner looked down at his cocoa. He eventually met your gaze and gave you an almost sorrowful, crooked smile.

“I just… haven’t ever gotten around to it I guess.”

He saw a brief glimmer of sadness, maybe even a tinge of guilt cross your face as you realized why, but it was quickly outshone by the twinkle in your eye as a grin slowly spread across your face.

“Well I guess we’ll have to fix that then.”

~

You watched Gardner’s eyes dart across the screen. His features were soft, his eyes bright, as he watched the money pile up on George Bailey’s table. You couldn’t help the few tears that sprung to your eyes as the people of Bedford Falls mingled and laughed and sang. 

“Are you okay?”

You looked away from the screen to see Gardner’s concerned face as he realized you were crying. You let out a watery laugh and nodded, wiping your eyes.

“I’m fine! This just always gets me.”

A small smile made its way onto his face, and he bumped his shoulder against yours, mirroring your move from earlier. Your heart melted a bit at his gentle kindness, and you bumped him back.

The credits began to roll, and you turned so that you faced him. 

“So, I think it’s time for the verdict. What’d you think?”

He smiled softly as you looked at him eagerly. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen a better movie.”

He chuckled a bit as your eyes lit up even more.

“Oh!! Gosh I’m so pleased!! And I’m honored that I got to be the one to show you.” 

Looking at your proud smile as you focused again on the television, Gardner found himself wanting to kiss you right then and there. The way the light of the movie danced across your face, the way your eyes shone so bright, the way you swayed slightly to the music, lightly humming along, he was in heaven. He was about to say something, god knows what, when your eyes flitted over to the window.

“Oh, Gardner,” you breathed quietly, “look.”

His heart fluttered a bit at his name coupled with the softness of your voice, and his eyes followed yours. 

“Oh.”

It was snowing. 

Quicker than he could realize what was going on, you pulled him off the couch, bundled him up a bit, and pulled him out your front door. You gasped loudly as soon as your feet hit the ground outside to find it covered in an inch or two of light, soft snow. 

“It must have been snowing for ages now,” you cried with a grin, jumping around a bit. 

Gardner watched with a bright smile on his face as you gazed up at the sky, watching the flakes fall all around you. You took a few deep breaths, feeling the cold sting your nose, and laughed. Then, with little warning, you grabbed his hands and pulled him out into the yard with you. A small yelp escaped him, but he was quickly giggling alongside you. You roped him into a snowball fight with ease, playfully taunting about how his aim should be fantastic if he’s “really as good at horseshoes as you claim.” He chuckled at that, telling you to “bring it on.” You were sure the neighbors were going to come out to complain, but your antics went unbothered. Eventually though, after Gardner narrowly missed the neighbors’ already-flimsy mailbox, a cease-fire was called.

It fell quiet for a moment, the two of you giggling softly to yourselves and panting a bit. You watched him as he caught his breath, looking up at the falling snow. His eyes seemed to dance between the flakes, not quite knowing where to land. In the few months you had known him, he had never looked as content as you had seen him tonight. His gaze found its way to you eventually, and your cheeks reddened a bit as you realized you’d been staring at him.

However, he didn’t seem to notice, and he offered you a kind smile, one you returned very quickly. You took a step toward him and gave him an affectionate shove with your pocketed hands. A quiet giggle escaped him, breaking the calm silence of the night. Your breath caught in your throat at both the sound and your proximity to him. It was possibly the closest you’d been. You could see every detail of his face, his eyelashes, the little flecks of gold in his hazel eyes, barely illuminated by your porch light, his faint freckles across his nose and at the corners of his eyes. 

You felt your cheeks heat up as you met his eyes. He gave u another little grin, this one a bit cheeky, and you knew this time he’d caught you. You stepped even closer to him, if that were even possible, and almost timidly took your hands out of your pockets and grabbed his. You watched his eyes widen and his cheeks redden as you laced your fingers together. He looked down at your hands and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it after a second, seemingly unable to say what he wanted to. So you tried.

“Gardner…” you began.

His eyes met yours once more and you faltered. There was so much you wanted to say. You wanted to tell him how beautiful you thought he was, how genuinely gorgeous he looked when his eyes lit up as he talked about his job. You wanted to tell him how much you admired him and his passions. You wanted to tell him how strong he was. He had been hurt so badly, cut so deeply, and yet here he was, loving and giving and laughing and living. You wanted to tell him how much you liked him. Really, truly liked him. Full on fancied him. And still, it was as if you’d forgotten how to speak at all.

“Gardner, the only thing I’m good at is words, and when I look at you, they’re all gone.”

His eyes softened a bit, and he looked down at your hands once more. Then, something new flickered across his face. Determination. He met your eyes.

“Maybe… maybe you don’t need words.”

You were in the middle of debating whether or not you should ask him if he meant what you thought he meant when you realized Gardner’s lips were pressed gently against yours.

It wasn’t like anything you had ever experienced before. It was short, not even lasting two seconds, but it was the purest, most content moment of your life. He pulled away quickly, hands beginning to shake in yours. He didn’t miss the way you chased his lips slightly afterwards, and that helped to somewhat calm his nerves, but he was still terrified at how you were going to react. When his eyes found yours again, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. The smile that spread across your face could outshine the sun. He wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to thank you for his gifts and the cookies and all the kind greetings and the drinks and the dinners and the listening ear. And he opened his mouth to try, but before he even got the second word out, you were kissing him. 

The first kiss had been soft. It had been short and sweet. This one was desperate. He made a soft noise of surprise, but quickly relaxes against you. Your lips moved against his hungrily, trying to make up for lost time. He was making these soft, quiet noises that were like music to your ears, and you knew you would never stop trying to draw them out. Your hands untangled themselves from his and moved up to cradle his face. God, his dumb, stupid, lovely face that you had wanted to hold for so long. To hold and to kiss. You found yourself laughing softly in utter disbelief against his lips. He let out a small whine into your mouth that sounded both like a plea for more and like a sigh of relief, as if he felt like he was finally where he was born to be. 

Eventually the two of you broke for air, and you chuckled gently at the slight smear of your red lipstick on his mouth. You looked into his beautiful eyes, hands still on his face, and smiled brightly.

“What were you gonna say? Sorry, I completely interrupted you!”

Gardner, still breathless, decided his “thank you” could come later.

“Please… please do that again.”

You laughed loudly, feeling on top of the world, and as much as you desperately wanted to grant his wish, you instead gave him a soft kiss on his lovely little nose.

“My love, I’ll do that a million more times, trust me, but let’s get inside first, yeah? Your nose is an adorable, but probably unhealthy shade of pink.”

He thought about it for a second.

“Just one more?”

You giggled softly at that and took his hands once more.

“Alright, pretty boy, one more.” 

After one more lingering, loving kiss, the two of you made your way back inside. After a change of clothes (you into some pjs, Gardner into a soft sweater vest your brother had accidentally left behind once) and a phone call to Calvin to let him know Gardner wouldn’t be home for a while, you both collapsed on the couch. He found himself cuddled up against you, your arms around him, feeling safe and content and truly at home. And when you started describing the Christmas movie marathon he was about to endure, he felt like, for the first time in his life, the feeling would last.


End file.
